​

• Brush some oil on the tops of your taters and season them with salt. Once the oven is preheated, set the tray into the oven to bake for 12 minutes. Remove and set on to a wire cooling rack. Brush each of the potatoes with some of that savoury dill mustard. Return the tray to the oven for another 12 minutes. Remove once again and carefully flip the potatoes. Back into the oven for another 5 - 7 minutes until nice and crisp. 
• Now, top each potato with approximately a tablespoon of the old cheddar. Slap a slice of pickle on top of each one along with a sprinkle of pepper flakes. Return the tray to the oven until your cheese is melty.
• Set the tray on to a wire rack once again and give the tray a sprinkle of salt. Garnish with fresh chopped chives and sprinkle fresh dill around the tray. Let the potatoes sit for a couple minutes before picking them up and snacking, this firms them up. Serve with Ranch for dipping and ENJOY!

​

• Get your filets out and slice them in to 5 or 6 pieces each. Season them with a good pinch of salt and nestle them in to the center of each salad. Give the salad a good dusting of finely shredded grana padano and then arrange your avocado and Roma tomatoes around the salad. Garnish with green onions, some crumbled feta cheese, and some gorgeous, fresh dill to finish. ENJOY!

​

• Stir in the lentils and another good pinch of salt & pepper. Stir everything together and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Don't forget to stir as needed! Make sure you've already zested your lemon before squeezing in half the juice and the adding the broth. Once this comes to a boil, season with a good pinch of salt, throw in the couple sprigs of fresh dill, and the hard cheese rind. Reduce the heat to a simmer and set your timer for 20 minutes. Every 5 mins or so, make sure to stir the skillet. After about 15 + minutes, lentils should've plumped a bit and broth should be reduced. You still want some broth for your crispy toast.
• Pluck out the wilted dill and the hard cheese rind. Turn off the heat and fold in the grana padano, remaining lemon juice, lemon zest, and the 1/4 c dill. Set aside for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt if needed to taste.
• For service, grill up some toast and serve in beautiful rimmed bowl. Garnish your lentils & broth with more grana padano, fresh dill, some pepper flakes, and as much crumbled feta as your heart desires. ENJOY!

​

• In the meantime, chop your romaine in to shreds and wash / dry thoroughly. 
• Once your bites are ready, microwave your buffalo sauce until warmed properly. Add your bites to the bowl and toss to coat them in the spicy sauce.
• Add your romaine and red onions to a mixing bowl. Dress with Caesar dressing, some cracked pepper, and as much grana padano as your heart desires. Toss until creamy and coated.
• Divide your romaine between two serving plates. Garnish each salad with more grana padano. Nestle your saucy bites around your salad followed by some crispy croutons, green onions, and crumbled feta. Serve with a lemon wedge and ENJOY!

Anyone out there who writes and tests their own recipes, would be lying to you if they said everything was always hunky dory in the kitchen. The fact is, sometimes we have a wonderful idea that doesn't pan out, perhaps we're overambitious, or just simply negligent while we're cooking. It happens to the best of us and it's important to understand WHERE and WHY we messed up. 

Let's take a look at 3 recipes I was sure were going to work, but simply did not.

After I realized that there was no salvaging the appearance, I continued anyways. I think the worst part is that it tasted amazing. That creamy street corn salad on top of that rich and delicious risotto was absolute perfection. I just couldn't stop seeing that poopy brown risotto that ruined the vibe for me. I'll definitely retest this idea. 

With that being said, if you're doing double duty in your skillet, make sure that you wipe it out, or at the very least, toast your corn in a separate skillet for goodness sake.

With that being said, they were freaking delicious. Admittedly, they were super rich and I was missing something to cut that richness and some crunch to cut through the layers of richness. I'll try these again, but next time, I'll keep them as singles. 

Kitchen fails are an unfortunate part of the creative process. Whether it's an issue with the idea as a whole, the preparation, or the execution, it never feels great to mess something up. What we CAN do however, is learn from our errors. That's what got me to this point today. I've messed up plenty of times along the way and it's important to understand what went wrong so that we can rectify and retest.

​Do you guys have any kitchen fails that really bummed you out, but perhaps you learned a little something from?

​

• Pour in your wine and season once again with salt. Let the wine simmer until absorbed, about 3 minutes. Now, ladle in two scoops of broth and a pinch of salt. Let this simmer away until absorbed and continue with another scoop and a half of broth & a small pinch of salt. Continue this process a few more times until you have about one more go of broth. At this point, your barley should be cooked just right. 
• Add the last remaining bit of broth and let that simmer until creamy and delicious. Reduce as much as you want for a consistency that works for you. Once you're content with the creaminess, turn off the heat and fold in the grana padano, butter, a squeeze of lemon to taste, and basil. Set aside covered for a few minutes.
• taste your risotto prior to serving and adjust salt if needed. Garnish your servings with finely shredded grana and fresh basil. ENJOY!

Canned and Dried beans are pantry staples and should be for us all. Nutrient dense, full of fiber, and economical to boot. With the abundant variety of beans available, there's a recipe for every kind of bean out there, and a lot of them are inter-changeable. I swear by beans you guys and I think it's important to always have some handy because you never know when you're going to need a quick and delicious meal that starts with a humble can of beans. Shall we?

​

• Pour in your wine and let that wine simmer off for a few minutes until mostly reduced. Now, pour in your prepared sauce & chik'n broth. Stir to combine and wait for your sauce to come to a bit of a boil. Once boiled, season with a good pinch of salt and stir in your fresh basil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes with a tilted lid. At this point, remove the lid and continue to simmer. Increase your pasta water to a good boil and once boiled, add your tortellini and cook according to package directions. 
• Your sauce will likely start to look super thick, use a small ladle of pasta water to keep it simmering. You may need to do this one or two times until your tortellini is finished. Once your pasta is cooked perfectly, strain it directly in to your skillet of meaty sauce. Add an additional ladle of pasta water and start tossing over the heat until your tortellini is sauced to perfection and sauce is clinging nicely. Taste and adjust your salt if needed.
• Serve your portions with fresh basil and a generous amount of finely grated grana padano. ENJOY!
• Any leftover tortellini can be packed away in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 - 5 days.

There's a few things that must happen when I'm having burgers. First of all, the bun matters. If I've purchased a standard pack of hamburger buns, I need them crispy. Either grilled or pan fried until golden brown. If I'm using a gorgeous brioche bun, I don't grill them because the softness of the bun lets the toppings provide that necessary crispy crunch vibe.

The toppings for me are what make a GOOD burger. I don't do "hamburgers", like, where's the cheese? Without cheese, a burger is mildly insulting in my opinion. Cheese is a NECESSITY for me when it comes to a delicious burger that satisfies my craving. What kind of cheese? For me, it's whatever I have on hand as long as it melts well. Monterey Jack, Marble, even aged cheddar if that's what I have on hand. It just needs to give me that melty vibe.

The toppings are also crucial in creating that delicious burger experience. I'm very much team toppings when it comes to a burger. I want it all and I want it messy. I want my hands slathered in condiments and my face to be a canvas for my burger with every bite. That means I want my burgs loaded and luscious.

For me, crispy lettuce, juicy tomatoes, zippy onions, tangy pickles, and vinegary pickled peppers are must-haves. Condiments? All of them. Ketchup, mustard, relish, mayonnaise, even a good chipotle mayo if I have it on hand. Your burger is an experience and everything we put on it will determine the end result.